" This term, however, implies an analogy to nonmutilating male circumcision, in which the foreskin is cut off from the tip of the penis without damaging the organ itself. The degree of cutting in female circumcision is anatomically much more extensive. The male equivalent of clitoridectomy, in which all or part of the clitoris is removed, would be the amputation of most of the penis. The male equivalent of infibulation, which involves not only clitoridectomy but also the removal or closing off of the sensitive tissue around the vagina, would be removal of all of the penis, its roots of soft tissue, and part of the scrotal skin.
Although studies refer to many different types of female genital mutilation, the different operations can be incorporated into two broad categories. The first is called clitoridectomy and in this set of operations, one or more parts of the external genitalia are removed. These include partial or total removal of the clitoris or removal of both the clitoris and the inner lips also known as excision. Even when the entire clitoris is not removed, its most sexually sensitive part is cut away. Approximately 85 percent of all women who undergo FGM have clitoridectomies. The second category is known as infibulation. An estimated 15 percent of all women who experience FGM have covering operations, also known as infibulation or Pharonic circumcision. In this group of operations, the clitoris is removed, some or all of the labia minora are cut off, and incisions are made in the labia majora to create raw surfaces. These raw surfaces are either stitched together or kept in contact by pressure until they heal as a "hood of skin," which covers the urethra and most of the vagina. Since a physical barrier to intercourse has been created, a small opening must be reconstructed for the flow of urine and menstrual blood. It is surrounded by skin and tough scar tissue and is sometimes as small as the head of a match or the tip of the little finger.
